In the course of the survey of the useful plants of �Nepal, 25 tree species belonging to 20
genera� representing 17 families have
been� documented� with their indigenous uses from the Syabru� village and adjoining areas of the Langtang
National Park, Nepal. At present, these useful plants� and their habitats are under serious threat
due to anthropogenic pressure. In this paper, an attempt� has been made to enumerate these plants with
their present status and local traditional knowledge� as well as practices and to recommend some
strategies for integrated management of the useful� species and their habitats.������������

In
the recent years, more attention is given to sustainable use and integrated
management of the� economically
important species due toan
increasing recognition of their contribution to fulfill� basic needs of the people, household
economies, food security and conservation of natural� resources. In Nepal, the rural communities relay
heavily on plant biodiversity for their primary� healthcare and daily requirement of food
and rawmaterials. However, at present, most of� ecosystems with useful species are under
threat due to habitat distruction, unsustainable� harvesting and over-exploitation. It is now
realized that priority should be given to the�
documentation and conservation of the existing species and habitats
before some of these are� eliminated
from the area, or before the inhabitants shift over to modern life style. In
this context,�� some sporadic works
have already done to collect ethnobotanical data and traditional
knowledge� systems (Joshi and Edington,
1990; Joshi, 1991; Bhattarai, 1992; Joshi and Joshi, 2000; 2005;� Manandhar, 2002; Joshi et al., 2003Siwakoti, et al., 2005). But the vast store of
ethno-botanical� wealth of the present
study areas has not been comprehensively documented. In this background,� present study was devised to document the
trees with their indigenous uses and practices.

Study Areas and Methods

After reconnaissance of some villages of the Central Development
Region, Syabru village of� Langtang National Park was selected for the
ethnobotanical study. This village has enjoyed some� measures of environmental protection and
lie on trekking routes. The major physical and socio-� economic characteristic features are given
in Table 1.

Several field trips in
and around the study areas were undertaken�
with a view to collect plant�
species of ethnobotanical value and document the indigenous practices.
The information was� gathered using
various techniques such as open and structured interview, and discussion
with� local informants, such
traditional healers / �jhankri�, and experienced village elders
including� midwives and by direct
observations on the way different plant materials were being collected� and used (Joshi and Edington, 1990).
Voucher specimens are deposited in the SchEMS, Pokhara� University, Kathmandu, Nepal.

The wood productivity estimates obtained at Syabru (11.06 m/ha/annum)
fall� within the range� 10-30m quoted by Joshi (1988) for forests
in the hills of Nepal (Table 3). The fact that the� village estimates are at the lower end of
this range is probably related to substantial reduction in� forest cover caused by over-exploitation.

Ethnobotanical
uses

During the field survey, ethnobotanical information of 25 species of
medicinal plants belonging� to 17
families have been collected from various habitats of the study areas. Table
4 lists the� plants recorded as being
used in Syabru village and adjoining areas. The species are arranged� alphabetically with� family, local names, habitat and uses.

����������������������

Table 4. Ethnobotanical
uses of the trees of Syabru.

Species and Family

Nepali name

Habitat

Parts used and Uses

Abies spectabilis(D. Don) Mirbel

Pinaceae

Talispatra

Forest

--- Decoction� of leaves is taken for cough and
bronchitis.

--- Wood� is
used as firewood, and

raw materials for��
houseframes,

furnitures, doorframes etc.

Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa

Rutaceae

Bel

Forest,

--- Decoction of leaves is taken to
cure

diabetes; fruit juice is drunk every

morning on an empty stomach

for stomach ache and gastric problems;

decoction of leaves is� used in

dysentery and� dyspepsia; young fruit is

crushed with a piece of turmeric which

is applied to cure ulcers.

�--- Fresh pulp of the ripe fruit is taken as sarbat (the
local cold drink).�

(b)fuelwood used by tourist trekkers or on their behalf (e.g.
where teahouse provide food� and� regreshments)

(c)�fuelwood cut on the
village land by outsiders who subsequently export it for consumption� elsewhere.

Estimate for the annual consumption of fuelwood from
the study village is set out in Table�
6. It� will be seen that the
trekkers use greater fuelwood (22 metric tons/annum) due to Syabru is a� overnight stoping place for treeker between
national park and Dhuche (Joshi, 1988). The other� feature to notice is that wood was also
being harvested on village land by people who had come� in from surrounding villages and were
subsequently carrying loads� of wood
from Syabru (18� metric
tons/annum)� out of the area.

Table 6. Wood production and consumption
for� Syabru village (value

expressed
as mt/ per year).

Production

10 cm diam.

989.5

10 cm diam

65.0

Consumption

Consumption by Village residents

180.0

Consumption by collection from
other villages

18.0

Consumption by trekkers

22.0

The most striking feature of the relationship between wood production
and consumption is the� excess of
consumption over production in the small wood category� the both villages. Small� wood includes the branches of trees and
shrubs, the truks of small wood probably has a varietyb� of causes. It can be easily cut using the
traditional nepali tools i.e. khurpi or Knief, it can be� conveniently tied into bundles, and
subsequently, it is easily fed into the apertures of clay stoves� or between the legs of tripod type stoves.
If one is to look for environmental consequences of this� over-use of small wood, one of these appear
to be the suppression of tree regeneration. In counts� of regenerating trees in the 25 m survey
plots, it was found that few seedlings survived to a� height greater than 100 cm. presumably the
main reason was that at this hight the samplings� became usable as fuelwood and were cut and
removed (Joshi, 1988).�

Timber for house
construction, furnitures and household utensils

���� Nepalese village houses have
a supporting framework of wooden uprights with additional� pillars, to support a balcony if this is
included in the design. At Syabru the roof also usually� consists of flat wooden slabs or shingles.
When asked about the amount of wood used for�
building purposes with the local people, no reliable information were
available from the study� area.
However, Mauch (1976) and Joshi (1988) have�
made a calculation of building-timber use� per person for hill village in Nepal and arrive at a figure of
0.3m3/person/person / annum.�������������

����� Though the hardwoods are
generally favoured for constructional purposes of their greater� durability and relative freedom from fungal
and insect attack, pine is more widely used at the� Syabru village because of the greater
availability. Other� preferred species
for house frames are� Alnus nepalensis, Castanopsis indica,Castanopsis tribuloides, Melia azedarach,
Myrsine� capitellata, Quarcus glauca and� Q.
semicarpifolia. Wood of Pinus
wallichiana and Schima� wallichii are usually chosen for window
shutters,� doors and�ladders. Wood is also used in the� manufacture of household furnituresincluding storage boxes, chairs,
stools, table and beds.� Species used
for these purpose include Abies
spectabilis, Bombax cebia, Castanopsis indica, C.� tribuloides, Myrsine capitellata, Myrsine
semiserrata, Pinus wallichiana,Quercus
glauca, Q.� lanata, and� Q.
semicarpifolia. For fencing, favoured species included Alnus nepalensis, Lyonia� ovalifolia and Rhododendron arboreum.
Rhododendron arboretum finds a particular use in the� manufacture of such household items as
wooden paddles, spoons� and� bowls.

�

Medicine

����� The
present study revealed that gastro intestinal disorders and stomach ache,
dematological� illness and cuts, wounds
and headache� are the major diseases
and illness in the study area. The�
local people use the plants and their parts� for the treatment of these alignments
following the� traditional practices.
During the treatment of the diseases, various�
forms of preparation are used . Among the documented species, 7
species were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, 2 for� fever, cough, headache, 7 for
dermatological illness, 1 for genito-urinary complaints, 3 for� respiratory aliments, 2 for dental
problems, and 2 for others (Table 2).

Food

����� Wild foods� are collected by local people from a wide
variety of habitats i.e. forest, scrub,�
edges of cultivated areas and waste lands. The major food plants are Myrica esculenta,� Castanopsis spp., Pyrus pashia, Prunus nepaulensis, Lindra pulcherrima. The local
communities� have also excellent
knowledge about the� poisnous plants of
the study area

Fodder������������������������

����� 18�
tree species are recorded as being used as fodder plants in these
villages. Among them,� local people
prefer Castanopsis indica, Castanopsis
tribuloides, Myrsine capittata, Myrsine�
semiserata, Quercus glaunca, Quercus lananta, Q. semiserrata and Salix babylonica.. The� people of the villages� have comprehensive knowledge about fodder plants,
as they are in� constant association
and dependence on these resources for integrated agriculture development.

Rawmaterials

����� Various plant and parts of the plants
are used as rawmaterials for the manufacture or� preparation of commodities. The major
products and uses as follows:

Dye

���� At Syabru
the main dye used is a dark brown dye derived from the bark of Schima wallichii.� The dye are used for coloring wool and for
painting designs (usually with a stick) on baskets,� mats, and cloth.

����� Pinus wallichiana is an important source of resin
and turpentine in the study area. Resin is�
used in the manufacture of soap, grease, and waxes and is exported for
these purpose to Trisuli� and Kathmandu.

Insectisides and� Fish poison

����� The
village people use a variety of plant materials to deter flies in the houses
and to protect� stored grain from
insect damage. Leaves of� Lyonia ovalifolia or dried fruits,
leaves, bark of� Melia azaderach are placed in the mouth of grain bags and in the
tops of open-air storage bins� (bhakari),
to discourage the entry of grain-feeding beetles and moths.�

���� Plant
extracts are widely used in the studied village for capturing fish. Crushed
leaves� of� Lyonia
ovalifolia or immature leaves of� Rhododendron arboreum are introduced
into streams� and river with the aim of
stupefying fish. The affected fish float to the surface and are removed� from the water usually with a piece of
cloth stretched across a branched stick. Similarly fruits of� Melia
azaderach or bark and fruits of
Schima wallichii are also used as fish poison.

Strategies for Sustainable Management

����� Despite
the formulation and adoption of various policies, plans, strategies and� implementation of progrommes� for the conservation of the species and
their habitats, there is a� growing
consensus among the conservationists that�
the conservation of bio-resources, especially� of�
plant biodiversity is entering into a stage of crisis, since there
has� been hardly any attempt to� conserve these resources in an integrated
manner (Joshi and Joshi, 1998). Therefore, the� following strategies should be implemented
in order to� conserve and sustainable
use of trees in� particular and other
plant diversity in general in an environmentally sound way.

�1. Inventory, Documentation of the species
and research

����� Though
the inventory of plant biodiversity has initiated in different
biogeographical areas,� many parts of
the country� are� still remained unexplored. Hence, it is
strongly recommended� that major
thrust� should be given to an intensive
inventory and documentation of the useful�
trees as well as other species�
and their products. The research related to chemical screening� should also be initiated to analyse
chemical contents and their implications on health, food and� plant products.

����� Regarding the ethnobotanical
information, there is still a paucity of quantitative data about� the traditional uses, effectiveness,
sideeffects and traditional techniques.�
The rural people have� excellent
ethnobotanical knowledge which they have developed� due to constant association� with the forest ecosystems. These existing
valuable information are needed to be�
documented� before lost or
disappeared. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that emphasis should� be�
given to the action activities for the documentation of indigenous
uses, traditional knowledge� and
practices� following in quatitative
methods.

3.�Conservation of useful species
and their habitats

�����
At present urbanization trend is rapidly spreading even in the forest
and waste land.� �Deforestation and habitat destruction due
to� land use change would pose a
serious threat to the� useful species
and habitats. Hence, efforts should be directed to formulate and
implement� appropriate conservation
strategies and programs for habitat management and sustainable uses� of the plants and their products taking
consideration of the needs of the people.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the inhabitants of the study areas for
their kind cooperation and help� during
the field survey. Thanks are due to�
Dr. John F. Edington, University of Wales, U.K. for� his guidance and suggestion, and Dr. S. K.
Jain, Founder and Ex-Director, Institute of�
Ethnobiology, Lucknow, India, Profs. P.K. Jha, R. P. chaudhary and K.
K. Shrestha, Central� Department of
Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal for constant encouragement.